New Zealand’s parliament was briefly suspended on Thursday after Maori MPs staged a “haka” to protest the vote on a bill on the country’s indigenous treaty.
As MPs met for a preliminary vote on the bill, Te Pati Maori Party MPs stood up and began a haka, a traditional Maori dance made famous by the New Zealand rugby team.
Parliament was briefly suspended as people in the gallery gathered and shouts echoed in the chamber.
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Bill on the Treaty of Waitangi
Hana-Rawhiti MP Maipi-Clarke began the “haka” protest in the House against a bill from the ACT New Zealand party, a junior partner in the country’s center-right coalition government, that enshrines a narrower interpretation of the treaty of Waitangi in law.
First signed in 1840 between the British Crown and more than 500 Maori chiefs, the treaty sets out how the two parties agreed to govern. The interpretation of the clauses in the document still guides legislation and policy today.
The proposed bill passed its first reading on Thursday and will now be sent to a select committee.
ACT New Zealand leader David Seymour said people opposing the bill wanted to “incite” fear and division. “My mission is to empower every person,” he added.
The legislation, however, is seen by many Maori and their supporters as undermining the rights of the country’s indigenous people, who make up about 20% of the population of 5.3 million.
9 day march
Hundreds of people set out on a nine-day march, or hikoi, from northern New Zealand to the national capital of Wellington in protest against the legislation.
Protesters organize rallies in cities and towns as they move south. They will arrive in Wellington next Tuesday (19), where they are expected to meet for a big event.
Coalition partners the National Party and New Zealand First are supporting the bill in only the first of three readings as part of the coalition agreement. Both parties have said they will not support it becoming legislation, meaning it will almost certainly fail.
